Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address on the laying of foundation stones for various development projects in Solapur
Mother India! Victory to thee! Mother India! Victory to thee! Mother India! Victory to thee!
The ones who have graced the dais, the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Vidyasagar Rao ji, The energetic and popular Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis ji, My cabinet colleague, Shri Nitin Gadkari ji, my colleagues from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Ministers and Legislators of Maharashtra, and my beloved brothers and sisters who are present here in large numbers today.
I have got the chance to visit Solapur for the third time in the past few years. Whenever I came seeking your blessings, you have extended your warm affection towards me. You've given me the greatest strength of your blessings. I remember, the last time I visited, I had promised that steps will be taken to tackle the problems associated with electricity, water and roads here. I'm happy that many steps were taken in this direction. Be it "Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana" or "National highways" or making electricity reach common households through "Saubhagya Yojana", swift and significant progress is being made. I would like to congratulate Mr. Fadnavis for his perseverance in his work towards bringing electricity to households.
Brothers and sisters,
I have come again amongst you to apprise you of this work. A few moments ago, thousands of crores have been dedicated to "Smart city", and foundation stones were laid for houses, roads, and water for the poor. I would also like to bring to your notice that government has approved Rs 1000 crores towards Solapur-Osmanabad rail line via Tuljapur.
Brothers and sisters,
By the blessings of mother Tulja Bhavani, this rail line will be complete and ready very soon. This will make it convenient for people from not only this region but for those devotees who come to visit here from all over India for pilgrimage. I would like to heartily greet and congratulate all of you on the progress in these schemes. Before we go into details of these schemes, I would also like to congratulate the whole nation from the soil of Solapur. Late last night in Lok sabha, a historic bill has been passed. I could make out from the noise of your applause that you too have sat till late night in front of your TVs. The Economically Weaker Section from the General category got a 10 per cent reservation, making our ideology of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ stronger. Every class has got an opportunity to grow and progress. Injustice should be curbed. The poor, be it from any class, should benefit, should have their needs prioritized, with this determination Bharatiya Janata Party is dedicated to your bright future.
Brothers and sisters, How lies get propagated, how people are being led the wrong way! With our decision in yesterday's parliamentary session and I hope that the way in which the proceedings took place in an intense environment, till late at night; some had unanimously voted for it but a few people were against it. Yet a landmark decision has been made for our constitution by our Lok Sabha. I hope that in Rajya Sabha today it will be discussed even more extensively and to accommodate that Rajya sabha's time has been extended by a day. I hope that in Rajya Sabha too, all our Honorable representatives of people, will also respect these intense feelings and will work towards giving strength to the society's unity and greatness, to boost the process of social justice, for sure a fruitful discussion would take place, and like yesterday, will arrive at a successful decision swiftly. This is my expectation.
Brothers and sisters,
In this country, such lies get propagated and a few people want to extract the benefits that Dalits, and Adivasis, and OBCs receive from reservation, and were hell-bent on the political move of making their 'vote-bank' a minority. We have shown that nobody can take anything from what Dalits, Adivasis or OBCs should get. By giving this surplus ten per cent, we worked towards giving justice to everyone. So to the people who say, that "we'll take this from them" and so on, yesterday in Delhi, Parliament has given a decisive answer, as if to strike on their faces, so that they wouldn't have any strength to propagate these lies anymore.
Brothers and Sisters,
In addition to this, another landmark bill was passed in Lok sabha yesterday. This bill is paramount to everyone who has belief and faith in our mother India. Once "The Citizenship amendment bill" is passed, , the road towards Indian citizenship will be cleared for India’s sons and daughters from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, and the ones who chant, “Bharat MATA ki JAI!” and "Vande mataram!", and the ones who love the soil of this nation.
Having seen many ups and downs throughout history, and having tolerated oppression, our brothers and sisters need a place in our motherland, India. It's every Indian's responsibility to protect them, and government of Bharatiya
Janata party had worked towards fulfilling this responsibility. Friends, in the decades after attaining freedom, every Government has done the work in its own way. But, when it happens under the leadership of BJP, its reach extends to its people.
Brothers and Sisters,
Yesterday when this law was passed, in the Parliament, Loksabha had done its part. I hope that Rajya sabha too will do the same for its nation-loving people, will pass the bill in Rajya sabha today and complete the work towards saving the lives of lakhs and lakhs of families.
Brothers and Sisters,
In particular, I want to reassure the brothers and sisters and the youth from Assam, and from the North-East, that this decision from yesterday will not bring even the slightest of harm to your rights, or any blockages to your needs and necessities. I want to reassure them of this.
Brothers and Sisters,
The difference between the past and the present is in the intention; it is in the right intention to fundamentally frame the law. It is in making a decision by integration and taking decisions in the entirety, instead of contemplating in bits and pieces; it is in taking the decisions for the welfare of the country and its citizens; it's the will power present in politics. Our government’s culture is, "with everyone" and "everyone's progress". It's our prime concern, motive and tradition. BJP has undertaken the construction of the New India and new infrastructure, including the upliftment of the poor and the villages and the cities. The degree and momentum at which these things are taking place to make life easier, is increasing.
Friends,
Take the example of Infrastructure. The National Highway of four lanes from Solapur to Osmanabad has already been dedicated to the nation.
By this project worth approximately Rs. 1 thousand crore, people of every class, every belief and every domain will be benefitted.
Friends,
From the time we gained freedom till 2014, there was approximately ninety thousand kilometers of National Highway, and now after four years, it's over one lakh thirty thousand kilometers. During the last four-and-half years approximately 40 thousand kilometers of National Highway had been laid. Moreover, with the investment of five and a half lakh crore rupees, the work on approximately
52 thousand kilometers National Highway is going on.
Brothers and sisters,
This project of national highways is a really good means for employment of the regional workforce. The "Bharat mala Scheme" that aims to create the national highway network, is the means of employment, and of opportunity. The last time I came to lay the foundation stone, I had told that, the projects we lay the foundation stone for, we also hold the inauguration ceremony of it.
We don’t work to show off - "Laying the foundation stone; let the election pass by; then you, your way, we ours". We have completely destroyed this political culture. And I tell you today, the foundation stone that was laid for houses for these 30,000 families; we'll come again to give the keys to those houses. Whether it is the longest bridge, the longest tunnel or the largest expressway, they have all been either constructed under this Government, or the work is going on with a faster momentum.
Brothers and sisters,
It's significant, not just because these are larger or longer than the rest, but because these were made in such a place where conditions are not favorable, where work isn't easy.
Brothers and sisters,
Why this work wasn’t done? Discussions used to take place 40-50 years ago. Discussions did take place. There used to be very few seats in Parliament from those areas, votes weren't there, so these people had thought why we should accomplish this. Due to this reason, the progress that the eastern part our country should have made came to a halt. If the same kind of progress that western India had made was also made in the eastern part of India, one could imagine the kind of heights our country would have reached, but brothers and sisters, there weren't many votes from there. "Why spend on the part that has just 1 or 2 seats?", these 'vote-bank' politics have blocked the road to progress. We stood against those ideologies, and whether there are votes or no votes, whether its beneficial for BJP, or not, whether the population is more or less, we have always done whatever is needed for the nation’s progress.
Friends,
These conditions are similar when it comes to the sectors of airways and railways. In the country today, railway works are being done like they have never been done in the past. When compared to the past, the construction and expansion of railway lines are being done with twice the pace. Electrification is being done with a faster speed in work. And today air travel is not just for the rich and the affluent, we have seen to it that it became affordable and available for the common man. Even those who wear Hawaii Chappals  should take the pleasure of air travel. In that direction, schemes like "UDAN" came into place. In tier-2 and tier-3 cities, airports and helipads are being constructed. Of those, 4 will be in Maharashtra. In the times ahead, under "UDAN", attempts are being made so that flights take off and land in Solapur as well.
Friends,
When there is connectivity, both cities and villages get benefitted in social and economic terms. Our city is the centre for economy and employment. Many cities’ progress including that of Solapur has been made continuously through plans over the decades. But it’s also true that, had it been done in a schematic way, the progress would have been much more than what we see today. But, it hadn’t been done so. There have been very few cities in this country that went through systematic planning to develop all the provisions there. Consequently, the infrastructure didn’t develop at par with the growing population.
Roads are small and passages remain thin through streets, sewage lines are leaking, and when someone voices this out, some intermediate work was done but its complete correction was postponed.
Brothers and sisters,
Our government has chosen the path of permanent solution as opposed to these make-believe arrangements. With this idea, we have started the mission to make one hundred smart-cities. Solapur is also one of them. By taking the opinion of the residents of these cities, along with central government, after the hard task of including public, we have undertaken the work to equip these cities with modern infrastructure and facilities. World is talking about our efforts towards this. Recently, according to the report of an international agency, in the coming decades, all of the ten fastest growing cities will be from India. For any Indian, it’s a matter of great pride. This indicates the amount of progress India is going to achieve.
Brothers and sisters,
The world is able to see this, but a few people from this country are not able see anything other than politics. These are the same people, under whose governance our cities’ conditions have been deteriorated. Today these are the very same people, who are leaving no stone unturned in trying to make a mockery out of the “Smart-City” Mission.
Friends,
In the history of this country, this mission is an effort to bring new heights to urbanization. It’s an effort to integrate every facility of the city. It’s an honest effort to drive away the problems faced by the common man. In the past three years, through this mission, a layout of projects worth approximately two lakh crore rupees has been prepared. Of this plan, work is already being carried out to complete the projects worth one lakh crore rupees, at a faster pace. At this juncture, today, the foundation stones of many projects that are linked to Solapur “Smart-city” mission has been laid and dedicated to Solapur. Water and Sewage related projects are included in these.
Friends,
Besides Smart Cities, in the other cities of this country, basic facilities are being developed under the “AMRUT mission”. Work is in progress on projects worth Rs.60 thousand cores. Here in Solapur, under the “AMRUT mission”, foundation stones of many projects related to water and sewage lines, are laid. When these projects get completed, water leakage-related problems will be solved in many areas. On the completion of the Ujjain Dam project for drinking water, the water problem of the city will be reduced to a great extent.
Friends,
Besides infrastructure, our Government has been working towards those who are poor and homeless. Every citizen is a witness to this fact that, in one hand, shining societies are getting built and on the other hand, slums are expanding. Here, the system was made in such a way that, those who build houses, those who run factories, those who are the workforce behind these jobs, are forced to live in slums. Atal ji had made the effort to change this condition. He had run a campaign, to build houses for the poor who are living in the city. Under this, in the year 2000, here in Solapur an effort had been made to ameliorate the living conditions of the workforce. Approximately 10,000 worker families had sent a proposal to Atal ji’s government, to build a co-operative society, and within 5-6 years, had received keys to their houses.
I’m very delighted to announce that, our government has got the opportunity to expand the work that had been started and done 18 years ago by Atal ji. Today, for the poor, and labourers, foundation stone had been laid for 30,000 houses. The beneficiaries of this project are those who work in factories, pull rickshaws, drive auto, etc. I ensure you that very soon you will have the keys of your homes in your hands.
Brothers and sisters,
I’m able to give you this assurance because in the past four and half years, through “Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana”, living conditions of lakhs of poor families have improved. I want to give you an example of the difference between, how houses were built in the past and how they are built now; and the pace with which the government used to work, and the pace at which we are working.
Friends,
From the year 2004 till 2014 there has been a “remote-control” government in power. During the ten years spanning from 2004-2014, for those living in poor conditions in cities, the decision to build 13 lakh houses, has been made on paper; out of which only 8 lakh houses’ construction is complete. At this scale, it’s 80,000 in a year! On the other hand Modi’s government has bulit 30,000 houses in Solapur alone, while they were able to construct 80,000 in a whole year spanning the whole country. In the past four and half years of BJP government, we’ve constructed 70,00,000 houses in comparison to 13,00,000 that they had on papers during their time. We’ve completed 14,00,000 houses in four years, what they haven’t been able to do in 10 years.
Moreover, considering the pace at which work is going on, in the near future, the construction of 38 lakh houses will be completed. Now, compare their record of 10 years and our record of four and half years. There’s a huge difference. If we would have worked at their pace, then we cannot say, if the houses’ construction could be completed even after the next three generations. This difference shows the concern they had for the poor.
Friends,
Our government has not only been thinking about the poor but also considering the middle-class, and for this we have brought changes to the ways things used to get implemented.
Brother and sisters,
We have brought a scheme for those belonging to the lower strata of the society, along with those middle-class families that earn up to 18 lakh per annum. Beneficiaries of this scheme will be able to save at least 6 lakh rupees for 20 years on their home loans. Those saved Rs 6 lakhs can be used towards their children’s education and welfare. This is ease of living. This is “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.
Brothers and sisters,
My friends from the labourer community! I want to assure you that your houses will be built and completed. Along with this, Government has been planning to include you in pension and insurance schemes. Under the “Atal Pension Yojana”, Rs. 1000-5000 worth pension and insurance with very menial premiums is being given.
More than one and half crore laborers have been linked to this scheme; of them 11 lakh belong to Maharashtra. “Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana”, for a mere 90 paise/day! Not even a rupee! Even tea is costlier than that. This ‘chai-walah’ knows. And a premium of Re 1 per month under “Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana” . These are two very good schemes that are going on. With two of these schemes, 2 lakh rupees worth insurance is guaranteed for the poor. 21 crore people from this nation are subscribed to this, of which more than one and half crore people are from Maharashtra. Because of this scheme, during their times of need, people received a benefit of more than Rs. 3000 crores.
Had it been announced that Modi is giving Rs.3000 crores to the poor, it would have made headlines in national media. Without any of this hype, Rs. 3000 crores had reached the bank accounts of the poor. Today, difficulties are reduced and government has come to the aid of people. Only then right progress is possible. This is the true evidence of having the right intentions.
Friends,
Your government is able to do all this, and there is a reason behind all this. Do you know how all this has been possible? Will you be able to tell? How so much money is being spent? How are we able to implement so many schemes? This is not because of Modi. This is because the corruption is curbed. And so every penny is being used for the right cause, and the poor are getting their rights. It’s possible because a campaign against the commission agents was undertaken. When I work for cleaning the villages and cities, I also work towards cleaning the government.
From Delhi’s political alley ways, to the ration dispensaries in remote villages, this ’Chowkidaar’ had fought against the middlemen. And as a result, those who thought that political power is hereditary, those big shots today have been questioned by the law. They are brought to answer everything from tax-evasion to corruption. They are afraid now.
Brothers and sisters,
The previous government, had not only made these middlemen a part of the system, but also played a part in threatening the country’s safety. I read in the newspapers yesterday, those involved in the chopper scam that the government had been looking for; one of the perpetrators has been found and brought to India from abroad. He’s in jail. He has revealed some astonishing facts. He is not only one of the accused in the chopper scam, but has also played a part in the inspection of fighter planes, during the previous government’s rule.
According to media reports, this Michel ’mama’ was lobbying for some other company’s aircraft. So now it’s time for congress leaders to answer what was the connection with this Michel ‘mama’.
Shouldn’t they be answering that? Shouldn’t the ‘chowkidar’ do his work? Does he have your blessings? It is with your blessings that ‘chowkidar ’ is able to fight with those big shots. Is it not because of this Michel ‘mama’ that the deal was stalled at that time?
Friends,
Agency is finding the answers to these questions. And people of our country are also seeking answers. Those sympathizers of these dealers will have to answer the compromises made on national safety. Those friends of these middlemen, who are trying to scare the ‘Chowkidar’, but they don’t know Modi.
And I know they are going to be taken by surprise because a ‘Chowkidar’ doesn’t sleep, and despite the darkness, is always able to catch the thieves.
Brothers and sisters,
What’s behind this strength of this ’Chowkidar’? What is it? It is your blessings. I ensure you that, even though they hurl insults at me, try to propagate lies; this ’ Chowkidar’ will not halt his cleanliness campaign against them. New India’s system should be free of these dealers.
With this assurance, I would like to congratulate all of you on all the development projects.
Thanks a lot!